Drug discovery for human immunodeficiency virus infection: conquests and hurdles

Drug development for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection arena has been characterised by both successes and failures. The nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors have been the major development for the management of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Disease Syndrome (AIDS); there has been a notable lack of licensed compounds directed at sites other than reverse transcriptase. In the development of drugs for the treatment of HIV infection, numerous tensions can be identified which need to be addressed to permit successful drug development in the future. These tensions include inherent conflicts between industry, government, regulatory authorities, academicians, and patients and as such need to be identified, discussed, and constructive solutions developed.